The quest for a personal health record or PHR isn't new. Storing digital medical records in one place so that they can be compiled, searched and shared with physicians --it's a laudable goal.

But why Google? While Google will tell you it's looking after your health, don't be so sure. It's more likely eyeing your wallet --or at least, its own bottom line.

Google Health is specifically designed to bring its users together with medical and drug companies that have something to sell them.

In a prototype available online, users are advised to use Google Health "to learn about ... treatments, tests and preventive measures."

It will be a bonanza for those companies selling these things to Google users.

Even if the service doesn't feature ads, the likely integration of the Google search engine will insure that patients researching their personal health issues will be confronted by the paid ads that always appear alongside Google's usual search results.

It's the next regrettable extension of a trend that began when drug companies began to advertise directly to consumers.

This trend has led to the over-prescription of unnecessary drugs and a dangerous view that safeguarding one's health is simply a matter of choosing the right pill, then getting a compliant doctor to agree.

Add to the mix troubling privacy issues, and my prescription is a simple one: